brand me up

is your brand a little bland?

No matter what industry you’re in, the business world will always be competitive. The competition is fierce, especially when your customers have an endless stream of brands vying for their attention. It’s no secret that the business world has become a bit of a jungle, only comparable to the most dangerous jungle of all….the dating world! We’ve taken inspiration from hit TV dating show, Take Me Out to give you advice on how to ensure that your brand gets the attention that it deserves.

Let’s face it, the end game is for you to be skipping off into the Fernando’s sunset with your customer, not moseying up the stairs to the sorrowful sounds of “All By Myself” with only your tears for company. So, how do you avoid a customer blackout? Luckily for you, we’re the Paddy McGuinness of the marketing world; we’ll have you bursting out of that love lift with all the energy, charisma and charm that you need to keep those 30 lights shining bright. Single brands….reveal yourselves!

Round 1 – The First Impression

Take Me Out brings out the shallow underside in the best of us, and unfortunately the business world can be just as shallow. Everything, from your brochures to your website, needs to be as attractive as possible. Fortunately, a little bit of time in hair and makeup can work wonders. If your brand identity feels a little tired, then revamping your design could be just the trick. What’s your artwork like? Does your logo reflect your brand identity? Although it’s only a tiny thing, your logo is one of the biggest aesthetic reflections of your brand. A creative agency can combine graphic design with branding and work with you to form a fresh identity whilst keeping in line with your brand values.

courtesy of The Metro

However, it’s not just physical appearance that the “flirty thirty” judge in Round 1, it’s the entrance, the clothes, and even the greeting. Similarly, this applies to how customers perceive your brand. The way you answer your phones, your dress code and how you handle any issues can impact your brand identity.

Round 2 – The Personality Test

Your good looks have got you this far, but it’s time for some added oomph; an injection of personality to give your brand a bit of zing and keep the public interested.

We’ve seen it plenty of times on Take Me Out, that strapping hunk of a man that gets through round one with thirty lights shining bright, then falls spectacularly at the next hurdle of expressing personality. Nobody wants to be that guy, so learn from his mistakes. Think carefully about your brand message and identity, how do you want your customers to see you?

That guy who makes all the weird, inappropriate jokes? Unsurprisingly, he blacks out. By all means, add a bit of humour but keep it professional. Some light-hearted tongue-in-cheek jokes are great, but know the line. Cross that line, and it’ll be lights out, all out!

When it comes to conveying your brands personality, there are a number of things you can do to humanise your business whilst still keeping it professional. A business blog is a great way to engage with your customers in a slightly more informal way. The same goes with social media, if you’ve got penchant for puns then you’ll go far. Blogging and a strong social presence will ensure that your customers engage with you on a more personal level and you’ll stand out amongst your competitors.

Round 3 – The Skills Test

Congratulations, you’ve made it to round three, but this is the biggest stumbling block of all. Many a time, we’ve found ourselves with our heads in our hands at this point in the show. From the less than gracious granny that spills the beans on previous embarrassing escapades, to the cringe worthy “talent” show; this is make or break.

courtesy of Hollywood Reporter

Round three is often a bit of a curve-ball, so you need to be prepared. Whilst the negative testimonials from family members on Take Me Out are often light-hearted and funny, a negative testimonial for your brand is far more serious and damaging. Sadly, you’ll never be able to please everyone, and more often than not, somebody will eventually experience an issue with your company. What matters most is how you deal with this. Client relationship management should be an essential part of your brand strategy. If you can resolve a customer issue quickly and effectively, then they’ll still remember you positively.

As well as testimonials, there’s the “special skills” part of the show. It’s not enough to go on Take Me Out, sail through two rounds and then do something as simple as perform an average rendition of “Don’t Stop Believing”, you need to do something a bit different to captivate the audience. As a brand, you should be able to offer your customers what they want in a way that’s a bit quirky. Similarly, the guys who go on there and flex their muscles grow tiresome after a while. It’s good to celebrate your achievements, but don’t constantly sing your own praises.

If you’re dangerously close to a black out, then why not give us a call? With a little bit of work, we’ll have you on your way to Fernando’s in no time.

Used to remember if a visitor has closed the cookie selection facility.

2 weeks

Name

Domain

Purpose

Expiry

__utma

.google.com

Google analytics used to provide feedback on website usage, and does not store any personal information about you.

6 weeks

__utmb

.google.com

Google analytics used to provide feedback on website usage, and does not store any personal information about you.

6 weeks

__utmc

.google.com

Google analytics used to provide feedback on website usage, and does not store any personal information about you.

6 weeks

__utmt

.google.com

Google analytics used to provide feedback on website usage, and does not store any personal information about you.

6 weeks

__utmz

.google.com

Google analytics used to provide feedback on website usage, and does not store any personal information about you.

6 weeks

APISID

.google.com

Google analytics used to provide feedback on website usage, and does not store any personal information about you.

2 years

OTZ

apis.google.com

Google analytics used to provide feedback on website usage, and does not store any personal information about you.

6 weeks

datr

facebook.com

Identify web browser used to connect to Facebook

2 years

locale

facebook.com

Stores the display locale of the last logged in user on this browser

2 years

reg_fb_gate

facebook.com

The first Facebook page visited in that browser

2 years

reg_fb_ref

facebook.com

The first Facebook page visited in that browser

2 years

__hstc

leadforensics.com

Hubspot analytics used to provide feedback on website usage.

2 years

__lotl

leadforensics.com

Used to provide feedback on website usage, and does not store any personal information about you.

6 months

__lotr

leadforensics.com

Used to provide feedback on website usage, and does not store any personal information about you.

6 months

_ga

leadforensics.com

Google analytics used to provide feedback on website usage, and does not store any personal information about you.

2 years

_hubspotuk

leadforensics.com

Hubspot analytics used to provide feedback on website usage.

10 years

_lo_u

leadforensics.com

Used to provide feedback on website usage, and does not store any personal information about you.

2 years

_lo_uid

leadforensics.com

Used to provide feedback on website usage, and does not store any personal information about you.

2 years

_lo_v

leadforensics.com

Used to provide feedback on website usage, and does not store any personal information about you.

1 year

_vwo_uuid_v2

leadforensics.com

Wingify cookie for performance monitoring

1 year

_ga

twitter.com

Google Analytics to distinguish unique users by assigning a randomly generated number as a client identifier. Included in each page request in a site and used to calculate visitor, session and campaign data for the sites analytics reports.

2.5 years

external_referer

twitter.com

Cookie tracking the immediate referrer to Twitter.

7 days

__utma

typekit.com

Google analytics used to provide feedback on website usage, and does not store any personal information about you.

2 years

__utmz

typekit.com

Google analytics used to provide feedback on website usage, and does not store any personal information about you.

6 months

s_pers

typekit.com

Site Catalyst cookie for performance monitoring

1 year

Name

Domain

Purpose

Expiry

CONSENT

.google.com

Used to remember your preference for cookies on this website

20 years

HSID

.google.com

This cookie is set due to Google+ integration and sharing capabilities for the social media.

2 years

NID

.google.com

Google Map Related

6 months

SAPISID

.google.com

Google Map Related

6 months

SID

.google.com

This cookie is set due to Google+ integration and sharing capabilities for the social media.

2 years

SIDCC

.google.com

Security cookie to protect users data from unauthorised access

2 years

SSID

.google.com

This cookie is set due to Google+ integration and sharing capabilities for the social media.

6 months

__cfduid

.npmcdn.com

Used to help identify individual clients behind a shared IP address and apply security settings on a per-client basis. It does not correspond to any user ID in your web application, and does not store any personally identifiable information.

2 years

_js_reg_ext_ref

facebook.com

Used for Facecbook comments

2 years

_js_reg_fb_ref

facebook.com

Used for Facecbook comments

2 years

fr

facebook.com

Used for Facecbook comments

3 months

sb

facebook.com

Used for Facecbook comments

2 years

__zlcmid

leadforensics.com

Zopim Chat Module Integration

1 year

__zlcprivacy

leadforensics.com

Zopim Chat Module Integration

1 year

eu_cn

twitter.com

This cookie is set due to Twitter integration and sharing capabilities for the social media.

1 year

guest_id

twitter.com

This cookie is set due to Twitter integration and sharing capabilities for the social media.

2 years

personalization_id

twitter.com

This cookie is set due to Twitter integration and sharing capabilities for the social media.

2 years

syndication_guest_id

twitter.com

This cookie is set due to Twitter integration and sharing capabilities for the social media.

2 years

tfw_exp

twitter.com

This cookie is set due to Twitter integration and sharing capabilities for the social media.

6 months

_ga

uprisevsi.co.uk

This cookie is set due to Twitter integration and sharing capabilities for the social media.

2.5 years

_gat

uprisevsi.co.uk

This cookie is set due to Twitter integration and sharing capabilities for the social media.

2 days

_gid

uprisevsi.co.uk

This cookie is set due to Twitter integration and sharing capabilities for the social media.

2 days

Name

Domain

Purpose

Expiry

1P_JAR

.google.com

These cookies are used to gather website statistics, and track conversion rates.

1 month

__gads

doubleclick.com

Used for re-targeting, optimisation, reporting and attribution of online adverts.

2 years

DSID

doubleclick.com

Used for re-targeting, optimisation, reporting and attribution of online adverts.

2 weeks

IDE

doubleclick.com

Used for re-targeting, optimisation, reporting and attribution of online adverts.